This invention relates to a multi-disk clamp end effector, or a device on which a plurality of disks with a center hole can be carried at the same time and from which these disks can be released sequentially one at a time.
Disks such as wafers upon which a very large number of electronic microcircuits and/or components are formed undergo many processes during their production. Since such wafers are not only fragile and easily damaged but also extremely sensitive to many kinds of contamination, abrasion and damage, various automated apparatus have been made available for transporting them from one processing station to another and handling them in various manners at these processing stations. For transporting a plurality of wafers to different places, or to the same place sequentially, for example, prior art wafer transfer systems are typically programmed to receive wafers one at a time, deliver one of them to its intended destination, go back to the starting position to receive another wafer and repeat this cycle of motion over again. More efficient methods of transferring disks like wafers and apparatus therefor are desirable.